This invention relates to a filter for filtering water and, more especially, this invention relates to a filter for filtering water for a pump for an aquarium or a pond.
In order to support healthy fish, it is essential that an aquarium or pond has water of a good quality. The quality of the water determines the amount of fish that are able to live in the aquarium or pond.
There are three basic types of fish keeper, namely the aquarium fish keeper, the domestic/general pond fish keeper, and the professional pond fish keeper. All of these three types of fish keeper have the option of filtering water from mid-water or the bottom of the aquarium or pond.
The aquarium fish keeper has hitherto more specifically had the choice of utilising a mid-water filtration system or an under-gravel filtration system. Known mid-water filtration systems are designed to be installed above the heavier solid waste that settles onto the bottom of the aquarium. The main advantages of the known mid-water filtration systems are that they are easy to install into an existing aquarium, and that they allow easy access for maintenance and cleaning. Their main disadvantage is that the solid waste settles on the bottom of the aquarium, where the solid waste decays and pollutes the water quality. This solid waste is difficult and messy to remove.
The known under-gravel filtration systems available for aquariums have the advantage that they draw the solid and fluid waste from the fish into a gravel bed. Their main disadvantages are that they are difficult to install in an existing aquarium and, when installed, they are difficult and messy to clean and maintain. The solid waste drawn into the gravel bed decays and pollutes the water quality.
For ponds, the pond keeper has hitherto had the choice of filtering water from mid-water in the pond or from the pond bottom. Known mid-water filtration systems are designed to be installed above the heavier clogging solid waste that settles into the pond bottom. Their main advantages are that they are easy to install into existing ponds, and that they allow easy access for maintenance and cleaning. A pre-filter may be fitted to act as a strainer to filter lighter suspended solid waste, and to restrict the entry of small fish. The main disadvantage of the known mid-water filtration systems is that the solid waste settles onto the bottom of the pond, and then decays and pollutes the water quality.
The known pond filtration systems that draw water from the bottom of the pond are such that the pond keeper has the choice of a solid handling pump or a gravity-fed bottom drainage system.
The known solid handling pumps have the advantages of being easy to install into an existing pond, and easy to clean and maintain. Their main disadvantage is that the solid handling pumps break up the solid waste, which is then pumped up to clog external biological filters. Still further, the broken up fine particles pollute the water quality. A pre-filter may be fitted to the solid handling pump to act as a strainer and to restrict the entry of small fish or unwanted solids, but this tends to defeat using a solid handling pump.
The known gravity-fed bottom drainage systems are such that they have the advantage of removing fluid and solid waste from the fish from the bottom of the pond, without breaking up the solid waste into fine particles. The gravity-fed bottom drainage systems have a number of disadvantages that make them unsuitable for the average domestic pond keeper. For example, they are extremely expensive and difficult to install into an existing pond. They require a larger installation area than other filtration systems in order to accommodate various external chambers that are required. They have inaccessible pipe joints in the pond base and walls, and gravity can draw the solid waste down into the drainage pipes under the pond, easier than it can draw the solid waste back up into external filter chambers. Solid waste in the filter drainage pipes is firstly difficult to remove, is secondly such that it restricts the water flow to the external filter chambers, and thirdly is such that it decays and pollutes the water quality.
It is an aim of the present invention to provide a filter for filtering water for a pump for an aquarium or a pond, which filter obviates or reduces the above mentioned problems.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a filter for filtering water for a pump for an aquarium or a pond, which filter comprises a housing, at least one inlet in the housing, at least one outlet in the housing, at least one filter member in the housing, at least one passageway in the housing, and at least one water flow control means;
the filter member having a body through which water to be filtered passes to the inside of the filter member, and a portion at which filtered water inside the filter member is able to pass to the outlet;
and the filter being characterised in that the water flow control means comprises at least one bypass inlet for controlling the water flow, the bypass inlet being such that it firstly controls the water flow direction and velocity as the water enters the bypass inlet, it secondly controls that water flow direction and velocity as the water leaves the bypass inlet, and it thirdly controls the water flow that bypasses the inlet; whereby the filter is such that, in use, the water enters the housing from the inlet at a controlled flow rate which does not attract already separated solids, whereby separated solids settle in the housing and filtered water passes through the filter member to the outlet.
The filter of the present invention is such that it may combine and supersede all of the advantages of existing mid-water, solid handling and bottom fed filtration systems. The filter of the present invention may be produced as a compact, easy to install and totally controllable filter. Still further, the filter can be used for filtering water from mid-water or the bottom of an aquarium or pond. This filtration can be effected simultaneously or separately. In addition, the filter may be produced to have no moving parts, which makes the filter reliable over prolonged periods of time.
The filter can be installed in any convenient, easily accessible position in any aquarium or pond, irrespective of whether the aquarium or pond is an existing one or a new one. The filter is easy to clean and maintain. If desired, the filter may be designed to be installed as a submersible filter or an external filter.
The filter may include at least one chamber, the chamber being characterised in that it comprises at least one water flow control aperture which firstly causes the water to change direction and velocity in order to leave the chamber, which secondly causes the water to change direction and velocity again as the water enters the passageway after having left the chamber, and which thirdly causes the water to change direction and velocity again as the water enters the housing having left the passageway.
The filter may be one in which the water flow control means is positioned adjacent the inlet and/or adjacent the outlet and/or in the housing.
Preferably, the filter is one in which the bypass inlet controls the water flow direction and/or velocity at least three times.
The filter may be one in which the chamber causes the water flow to change direction and/or velocity more than three times.
The bypass inlet may have adjustable flow control means.
The chamber may have adjustable flow control means.
The bypass inlet may have a plurality of apertures. The apertures may be in the form of holes and/or slots and/or nozzles. The apertures may be adjustable in size. The nozzles may extend inwardly and/or outwardly.
The filter may be one in which the portion of the filter member at which filtered water inside the filter member is able to pass to the outlet is formed by one end of the filter member.
The filter member may be movable and/or rotatable and/or changeable.
The housing may have at least one compartment for facilitating separation and/or filtration and/or for containing the pump.
The filter may include at least one valve for controlling the flow of water into and/or through the filter and/or leaving the filter and/or for preventing a backflow of water from the filter. The valve may have at least one flow control means.
The filter may include at least one cleaning device for cleaning the filter. The cleaning device may be fixed and/or movable and/or adjustable.
The filter may be one in which the housing has at least one opening for providing access to the inside of the housing.
The filter may be one in which the inlet and/or the outlet are constructed for receiving a manifold, whereby the water flow in the filter is able to be fed from a plurality of different inlets and/or fed through a plurality of different outlets during use of the filter.
The filter may be one which includes at least one flexible pipe for extending between at least one inlet and/or outlet and/or bypass inlet and a chosen place in the aquarium and/or pond, in order to facilitate separation and/or filtration and/or cleaning.
The filter may also include at least one sump for receiving the filtered waste.
The housing may have a rough or dimpled surface.
The filter may include at least one vent device for venting air in the filter. The filter may also include at least one drain-off device for draining the filter, for example as it is lifted from the water and/or for cleaning.
The filter may also include at least one ultraviolet lamp.
The filter may also include at least one venturi aeration valve.
The present invention also extends to a pump for an aquarium or a pond, the pump being provided with the filter of the present invention.